On Thursday, they all met at the Pizza Shop for an early dinner and last minute plans. The group was festive, laughing and teasing each other, as usual. The pizza place was crowded and noisy. Ed Kemp came in the door with his wife and son, a strange man following them. They stopped at the Beauchamps' table so that Jacob, especially, could say hello to his teacher. Introductions were exchanged, and Ed motioned the man behind them to step forward.
"This is Ben Conner; he's new in town. Ben's going to be the new local farrier. He and I went to horseshoeing school together. He's going to give riding lessons out at the Harpers' place too."
There was a chorus of hellos, but when Savannah's eyes travelled to the tall stranger, her mouth dropped open in shock. Ben Conner was dressed in a button-down shirt, well-worn jeans and boots, and a battered Stetson.
Shelby nudged her sister and hissed, "What's wrong?"
"It's him, it's him!" Savannah breathed the words, trying to wipe the shocked look off her face.
Ben was acknowledging the introductions, taking off his hat to reveal shaggy, light brown hair streaked with gold that curled a little at the nape of his neck. He had piercing green eyes and a light stubble along his jaw. Savannah was staggered by the heat that rushed straight to her groin when he turned his eyes on her. She was swept by a wave of sexual attraction that left her mouth watering and her knees weak. She suddenly realized that he had spoken to her and she hadn't answered.
"Did I get that right? You're Savannah?" Ben's eyes were mocking, as if he could see the effect he was having on her.
"Yes." Savannah spoke a little breathlessly. "Yes, it's nice to meet you."
He gave her a devastating smile. "It's nice to meet you, too, ma'am."
Savannah's mouth dropped open again as the little group moved on to find a table of their own.
Shelby gave her another nudge. "Savannah, what is wrong with you? You look like you saw a ghost!"
Savannah sputtered, "He called me ma'am! Ma'am!"
Her sister looked blank. "He's a cowboy. He's just being polite. Do you know him?"
"No! He's the damn cowboy I was dreaming about. And he called me ma'am."
Now Shelby's mouth dropped open. "You dreamed about him?"
"I swear, that's the man I was dreaming about."
"That's impossible. You just dreamed about a strange man, a cowboy, and when you saw Ben, it just seemed like they were the same. He couldn't really have been in your dream unless you saw him somewhere else," Shelby said reasonably.
Savannah said dubiously, "I don't remember ever seeing him or anyone remotely like him in my life."
"But, really, you must have."
"I guess. But I'm sure I wouldn't have forgotten him. Did you see him?"
Shelby laughed. "Yeah, I see your point. It must have been that you saw someone with a similar build and the hat, boots, just the general look."
GG had watched and listened with keen interest. She had made up her mind that she was going to find a way to get Savannah to stay for a while after the wedding. She thought with satisfaction that Ben Conner might just have provided her with a little more leverage. She smiled and sipped her beer with a silent toast to her plan.
The day of Shelby and Sam's wedding dawned bright and clear. The little white country church was fragrant with fresh flowers and full of friends and neighbors. Shelby's parents, James and Allison, had arrived the day before, and Allison's eyes were full of tears as she watched her daughter make her vows and become a wife. Two out of her three children were married, and she had resigned herself some time ago to the realization that the third child might not ever try marriage again. Her heart was full as she looked at her brood and let her head rest on her husband's shoulder. It was a happy day for them all.
The celebration after the ceremony was at Carter and Maggie's new home, where a huge white tent had been set up to accommodate the wedding guests. There was food and drink and music performed live by the Becker Street Band. The entire day had gone off without a hitch and the celebrating went on well into the night. As the party finally wound down, Sam and Shelby thanked their guests and said their goodbyes. They weren't going off for a honeymoon until after school was out for the year, so they went home, where they found champagne, candles and a bed strewn with rose petals.
Shelby lit the candles while Sam poured the champagne. After taking a sip of the ice cold wine, Sam set their glasses down and tipped up his wife's chin to take her mouth in a tender, probing kiss that quickly deepened. Shelby slipped her arms around him and fell into the kiss, giving a little sigh of pure pleasure. Stepping back, she turned her back to him, and he began to unfasten the long row of little buttons on her dress. He nuzzled her back as each button was undone. By the time he was finished, she was heavy-eyed with desire. He slipped the dress down off her shoulders and she stepped out of it, making Sam gasp at the sight of her.
Shelby stood and faced her husband, clad in her lacy white underthings and stockings, and unpinned her hair, letting it fall free to her shoulders. She reached out and slid Sam's suspenders down and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, raining soft kisses on his strong, muscled chest as she went. She pulled his shirt off and busied herself with unfastening his trousers. When she pushed them down over his hips, placing a kiss on his hard belly, he gave a little groan and pulled her up and into a deep, hot kiss.
Sam swept Shelby off her feet and carried her to the bed, where he caressed her soft, smooth skin while he slipped off her bra, kissing her shoulders, her throat, the full mounds of her breasts. Shelby arched her back and hummed a wordless little purr when he cupped her breasts in his hands and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She cried out when he closed his mouth over one hard, engorged tip and suckled gently. She fisted her hands in his hair and he nipped her lightly and flicked his tongue back and forth over the tender, swollen buds.
Sam sat up and unfastened the garter on one long, lovely leg and drew the sheer, white stocking down an inch at a time, following it with his lips. He nibbled at the inside of her knee and kissed her foot when he drew the stocking off. He took his time travelling back up her leg and then undid the other stocking, kissing her quivering belly while he unfastened the garter. Shelby gasped when he lifted her hips and pulled the pretty lace garter belt off, kissing her thigh and the tender hollow beside her hipbone.
Sam turned his wife over on the bed and traced her spine with his lips, starting at the nape of her neck and nibbling his way down to the small of her back. She shivered as he slowly, teasingly tugged down the flimsy little pair of lace panties that were the last garment she still wore. He kissed her pretty buttocks, giving her a little nip that made her squeal. His lips burned a path down the back of her thigh and he stopped at the back of her knee and then moved upward again to the small of her back, cupping her buttocks in his hands and squeezing before he slipped his fingers between her thighs to find her hot, wet center. He stroked her for just a moment or two before he took his hand away, making her cry out in protest.
Sam turned her back over on the bed, and she felt as if she were floating in a sea of pure sensation. Shelby reached for her husband, but he moved away. She followed him and tugged at his shorts, pulling them down to release his enormous erection. When she wrapped her hand around him, he groaned and she bent her head to take him in her mouth, nearly pushing him over the edge with a flick of her tongue. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back.